Unfinished Arch
Unfinished Arch is a large-scale interactive landmark that functions as a gateway to Sherbourne Common in Toronto. The piece is a 9.1 m-high “incomplete” arch that cantilevers dramatically over a distance of 14 m from a single support point on the ground. The arch is a marvel of engineering as its heavy body is made out of steel that floats just within the reach of passers-by. The elegant shape of the arch has a triangular chamfered profile and is dually inspired by parabolic shapes used by modern architects such as Shukov, Candela and Saarinen, as well as the asymmetric Fibonacci curve as it curls and breaks.
Visitors are encouraged to “complete” the arch by supporting its truncated edge, which is stepped to create surfaces reachable by people of all heights. The iconic image created is that of the participant is holding the weight of the entire structure, like in Pisa. A triangular metal plate will be planted exactly at the location where the missing support for the column would be. By stepping on the plate, people will get the feeling that they are “closing a circuit” between the floor and the arch, illuminating it, as if electricity were passing through their bodies.
When people touch the arch and “complete” it, a series of contact sensors detect this and the arch lights up automatically with a swift linear animation of built-in LED white lights. The animation begins by turning on the lights closest to the participant and then gradually illuminating the rest of the arch, with the LEDs at the base being the last ones to light up. When the participant stops touching the arch the animation is reversed: the light starts turning off from the LEDs at the base of the arch and they gradually turn off so the last ones to turn off are those closest to the truncated end. This light effect is visible even in daytime because the surfaces illuminated are the undersides of the triangular profile.
Unfinished Arch will be an iconic, modern, interactive landmark that will invite people to personalize their visit to Sherbourne Common in the summer of 2026.
Visitors are encouraged to “complete” the arch by supporting its truncated edge, which is stepped to create surfaces reachable by people of all heights. The iconic image created is that of the participant is holding the weight of the entire structure, like in Pisa. A triangular metal plate will be planted exactly at the location where the missing support for the column would be. By stepping on the plate, people will get the feeling that they are “closing a circuit” between the floor and the arch, illuminating it, as if electricity were passing through their bodies.
When people touch the arch and “complete” it, a series of contact sensors detect this and the arch lights up automatically with a swift linear animation of built-in LED white lights. The animation begins by turning on the lights closest to the participant and then gradually illuminating the rest of the arch, with the LEDs at the base being the last ones to light up. When the participant stops touching the arch the animation is reversed: the light starts turning off from the LEDs at the base of the arch and they gradually turn off so the last ones to turn off are those closest to the truncated end. This light effect is visible even in daytime because the surfaces illuminated are the undersides of the triangular profile.
Unfinished Arch will be an iconic, modern, interactive landmark that will invite people to personalize their visit to Sherbourne Common in the summer of 2026.
General info
Spanish name:
Arco Inacabado
Year of creation:
2026
Keywords:
Edition:
1 Edition
Credits
- Programming: Stephan Schulz
- Hardware: Stephan Schulz
- Production: Benoit Soucy, Emily Green, Stephan Schulz, Lauria Clarke
- Architecture: Eventscape
Bibliography
- Landau, Jack. "A massive interactive floating that glows at night is coming to Toronto." blogTO, 7 Apr. 2024. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2024. (english) (Websites)
Photo Library (click to expand)
